Environment - Greater Greater WashingtonPosts with the tag Environment.http://greatergreaterwashington.org/tag/environment/
en-usIt's not easy being greenhttp://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/34272/its-not-easy-being-green/
by <a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/ncacozza/" style="color: black"><span class="byline_name">Nicole Cacozza</span></a> <p style="margin-top: 1em">DC, Arlington, and Alexandria are among the easiest places in the US to find LEED-certified "green apartments," or places built to certain sustainability standards. But living in these kinds of units isn't cheap: On average a green place costs <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.rentcafe.com/blog/apartmentliving/greenliving/green-apartment-construction-quadrupled-in-5-years/', '34272')" href="http://www.rentcafe.com/blog/apartmentliving/greenliving/green-apartment-construction-quadrupled-in-5-years/" style="color: black">$560 more per month</a> in rent than others. (Rent Cafe)<p style="margin-top: 1em"><a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/34272/its-not-easy-being-green/#comments">Comment</a></p>http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=34272Wed, 23 Nov 2016 09:05:00 EDTGetting ahead of the weatherhttp://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/34205/getting-ahead-of-the-weather/
by <a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/ncacozza/" style="color: black"><span class="byline_name">Nicole Cacozza</span></a> <p style="margin-top: 1em">DC just launched a <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://wjla.com/news/local/dc-government-launches-climate-ready-plan-to-adapt-to-climate-change', '34205')" href="http://wjla.com/news/local/dc-government-launches-climate-ready-plan-to-adapt-to-climate-change" style="color: black">plan for combatting climate change</a> called Climate Ready. There are 77 action items, including working to stave off Anacostia River flooding. (WJLA)<p style="margin-top: 1em"><a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/34205/getting-ahead-of-the-weather/#comments">Comment</a></p>http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=34205Wed, 16 Nov 2016 09:00:00 EDTSome Silver Spring residents want a park instead of affordable housinghttp://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/33743/some-silver-spring-residents-want-a-park-instead-of-affordable-housing/
by <a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/danreed/" style="color: black"><span class="byline_name">Dan Reed</span></a> <p style="margin-top: 1em">Montgomery County wants to turn the former Silver Spring library into affordable housing. Now neighbors are circulating a petition to make it a park instead, even though there's already a park next door.
<p style="margin-top: 1em"><div class="blog_image" style="width:500px; text-align: center; font-size: 8pt;"><a href="/image.cgi?src=201610/032023.png&ref=33743" style="color: black"><img src="http://images.greatergreaterwashington.org/images/201610/032023-1.png" style="border: 0"></a><br>The former Silver Spring Library. Photo from Google Street View.</div>
<p style="margin-top: 1em">
<p style="margin-top: 1em">Even before the Silver Spring Library <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/27265/silver-spring-is-a-more-complete-place-thanks-to-its-new-library/', '33743')" href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/27265/silver-spring-is-a-more-complete-place-thanks-to-its-new-library/" style="color: black">moved to a new building last summer</a>, Montgomery County has been trying to figure out what to do with its 1950's-era building and parking lot on Colesville Road.
<p style="margin-top: 1em">In the past, Parks Department officials said they want to make it <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.thesentinel.com/mont/newsx/local/item/1680-planners-pursue-use-of-silver-spring-library', '33743')" href="http://www.thesentinel.com/mont/newsx/local/item/1680-planners-pursue-use-of-silver-spring-library" style="color: black">a recreation center</a>. But that may not be necessary if the county goes with a proposal to build a bigger recreation center and aquatic center <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.bethesdamagazine.com/Bethesda-Beat/Web-2016/Elizabeth-Square-Redevelopment-Calls-for-Large-Public-Recreation-and-Aquatic-Center-in-Silver-Spring/', '33743')" href="http://www.bethesdamagazine.com/Bethesda-Beat/Web-2016/Elizabeth-Square-Redevelopment-Calls-for-Large-Public-Recreation-and-Aquatic-Center-in-Silver-Spring/" style="color: black">in a new apartment building</a> a few blocks away.
<p style="margin-top: 1em">This summer, county officials floated the idea of replacing the old library with <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.bethesdamagazine.com/Bethesda-Beat/Web-2016/No-Plan-Yet-for-Former-Silver-Spring-Library-but-Other-County-Projects-in-City-Moving-Forward/', '33743')" href="http://www.bethesdamagazine.com/Bethesda-Beat/Web-2016/No-Plan-Yet-for-Former-Silver-Spring-Library-but-Other-County-Projects-in-City-Moving-Forward/" style="color: black">affordable apartments for seniors and a childcare center</a>. But some neighbors insist that the library become a recreation center and park, and are <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('https://www.change.org/p/make-it-green-transform-the-silver-spring-library-land-into-a-public-park', '33743')" href="https://www.change.org/p/make-it-green-transform-the-silver-spring-library-land-into-a-public-park" style="color: black">circulating a petition</a> claiming that downtown Silver Spring has "<a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('https://www.dropbox.com/s/0adby50a8i45yc6/Doc3.pdf?dl=0', '33743')" href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/0adby50a8i45yc6/Doc3.pdf?dl=0" style="color: black">no open space</a>," that Silver Spring has enough housing, and that a park is the "green" solution.
<p style="margin-top: 1em"><div class="blog_image" style="width:500px; text-align: center; font-size: 8pt;"><a href="/image.cgi?src=201610/032024.png&ref=33743" style="color: black"><img src="http://images.greatergreaterwashington.org/images/201610/032024-1.png" style="border: 0"></a><br>Aerial of the former library site. Image from Google Maps altered by the author.</div>
<p style="margin-top: 1em">This isn't the first time some residents have raised these arguments, particularly when there's <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/15916/south-silver-spring-residents-split-over-proposed-apartments/', '33743')" href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/15916/south-silver-spring-residents-split-over-proposed-apartments/" style="color: black">a proposal to build new homes</a>. But Montgomery County has the right idea in using the old library for affordable housing.
<p style="margin-top: 1em"><b>You'd be surprised how much open space Silver Spring has</b>
<p style="margin-top: 1em">Would you believe me if I told you downtown Silver Spring had 38 acres of open space, or more than seven Dupont Circles? That's what the Montgomery County Planning Department found in a 2008 study <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.montgomeryplanningboard.org/agenda/2008/documents/20080424_SilverSpringGreenSpacePlan_print.pdf#page=26', '33743')" href="http://www.montgomeryplanningboard.org/agenda/2008/documents/20080424_SilverSpringGreenSpacePlan_print.pdf#page=26" style="color: black">of downtown green space</a>.
<p style="margin-top: 1em"><div class="blog_image" style="width:500px; text-align: center; font-size: 8pt;"><a href="/image.cgi?src=201610/032025.png&ref=33743" style="color: black"><img src="http://images.greatergreaterwashington.org/images/201610/032025-1.png" style="border: 0"></a><br>Current and proposed "public use spaces" in downtown Silver Spring. Map from the Planning Department.</div>
<p style="margin-top: 1em">That number includes public parks, like the <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.montgomeryparks.org/parks-and-trails/jesup-blair-local-park/', '33743')" href="http://www.montgomeryparks.org/parks-and-trails/jesup-blair-local-park/" style="color: black">14-acre Jesup Blair Park</a>. But it also includes the open spaces Montgomery County requires developers to include in their projects, which has resulted in <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/15840/south-silver-spring-needs-better-parks-not-just-more/', '33743')" href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/15840/south-silver-spring-needs-better-parks-not-just-more/" style="color: black">dozens of pocket parks and plazas</a>, and <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/16012/good-public-space-can-make-good-retail/', '33743')" href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/16012/good-public-space-can-make-good-retail/" style="color: black">even playgrounds</a> around downtown.
<p style="margin-top: 1em">Some of them are great, while others <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/21762/it-takes-more-than-open-space-to-make-a-great-urban-park/', '33743')" href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/21762/it-takes-more-than-open-space-to-make-a-great-urban-park/" style="color: black">poorly designed and underused</a>. But even the bad parks represent an opportunity to reclaim open space in downtown.
<p style="margin-top: 1em">As a result of that 2008 study, county planners have encouraged developers to provide bigger parks, and now Silver Spring is poised to get them. A <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/32470/silver-spring-could-get-a-big-new-temporary-park/', '33743')" href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/32470/silver-spring-could-get-a-big-new-temporary-park/" style="color: black">new, one-acre park</a> will soon open at the Blairs as a placeholder for an even bigger set of parks. The Studio Plaza redevelopment off of Georgia Avenue <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/17748/issue-with-silver-spring-apartment-plan-is-design-not-height/', '33743')" href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/17748/issue-with-silver-spring-apartment-plan-is-design-not-height/" style="color: black">will have a 13,000 square foot park</a>.
<p style="margin-top: 1em">There are also several public parks right next to downtown that are getting renovated or expanded, including <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.bethesdamagazine.com/Bethesda-Beat/Web-2016/Downtown-Silver-Spring-Dog-Park-To-Open-June-15/', '33743')" href="http://www.bethesdamagazine.com/Bethesda-Beat/Web-2016/Downtown-Silver-Spring-Dog-Park-To-Open-June-15/" style="color: black">Ellsworth Park</a> and <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.montgomeryparks.org/projects/listing/woodside-urban-park-renovation/', '33743')" href="http://www.montgomeryparks.org/projects/listing/woodside-urban-park-renovation/" style="color: black">Woodside Park</a>, or <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.gazette.net/stories/11032010/silvnew211954_32546.php', '33743')" href="http://www.gazette.net/stories/11032010/silvnew211954_32546.php" style="color: black">Fenton Street Park</a>. Meanwhile, major regional parks like Rock Creek Park and Sligo Creek Park are two miles of downtown, giving urban dwellers easy access to nature.
<p style="margin-top: 1em"><b>Silver Spring still needs more new housing</b>
<p style="margin-top: 1em">Thousands of new homes have been built around downtown Silver Spring in recent years, and thousands more will come soon. That includes <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.bethesdamagazine.com/Bethesda-Beat/Web-2016/Elizabeth-Square-Redevelopment-Calls-for-Large-Public-Recreation-and-Aquatic-Center-in-Silver-Spring/', '33743')" href="http://www.bethesdamagazine.com/Bethesda-Beat/Web-2016/Elizabeth-Square-Redevelopment-Calls-for-Large-Public-Recreation-and-Aquatic-Center-in-Silver-Spring/" style="color: black">some buildings dedicated to affordable housing</a>, including <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://thebonifant.com/', '33743')" href="http://thebonifant.com/" style="color: black">The Bonifant</a>, which just opened this year.
<p style="margin-top: 1em">But housing prices are already out of reach for many people and continue to rise. New two-bedroom apartments in Silver Spring can rent for upwards of $3,000 per month, while in the surrounding neighborhoods, some homes have quadrupled in value over the past 20 years.
<p style="margin-top: 1em">Silver Spring has become an increasingly desirable area over the past 20 years. Even as new homes get built, they don't meet the demand from people who want to live here, <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/17482/can-silver-spring-build-enough-housing-to-stay-affordable/', '33743')" href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/17482/can-silver-spring-build-enough-housing-to-stay-affordable/" style="color: black">so prices continue to go up</a>. As a recent study from George Washington University notes, <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/33572/this-graph-shows-which-parts-of-our-region-are-walkable-affordable-and-equitable/', '33743')" href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/33572/this-graph-shows-which-parts-of-our-region-are-walkable-affordable-and-equitable/" style="color: black">Silver Spring has remained diverse</a> in spite of revitalization. That's partly because we do build new housing here, preventing the area from becoming even more unaffordable.
<p style="margin-top: 1em"><b>Building in downtown is the "green" solution</b>
<p style="margin-top: 1em">Today, the old Silver Spring Library is surrounded by a driveway and parking lots. Building here, on an already paved-over site, makes much more sense than paving over farms or forests. And building new homes here, in the middle of downtown Silver Spring, means that more people will be able to walk to shops and jobs and transit instead of driving long distances. Turning this site exclusively into green space means that existing green space somewhere else gets paved over.
<p style="margin-top: 1em"><div class="blog_image" style="width:500px; text-align: center; font-size: 8pt;"><a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('https://www.flickr.com/photos/thecourtyard/16660298894/', '33743')" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/thecourtyard/16660298894/" style="color: black"><img src="http://images.greatergreaterwashington.org/images/201610/051032.jpg" style="border: 0"></a><br>New townhomes in downtown Silver Spring. Photo by the author.</div>
<p style="margin-top: 1em">Silver Spring prides itself on its progressive politics and embrace of diversity. But <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/20411/after-3-year-fight-work-starts-on-silver-spring-townhouses/', '33743')" href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/20411/after-3-year-fight-work-starts-on-silver-spring-townhouses/" style="color: black">fighting all new development</a> is not progressive and ultimately makes our community less diverse. As President Obama <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2016/09/26/the_white_house_housing_development_toolkit_tells_cities_and_counties_to.html', '33743')" href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2016/09/26/the_white_house_housing_development_toolkit_tells_cities_and_counties_to.html" style="color: black">said last week</a>, communities that fight new housing become more expensive, less equal, and lose tremendous amounts of economic productivity.
<p style="margin-top: 1em">That's not to say that the old library should become housing with no open space. The site is shaped like an "L," meaning that county officials could decide that part of it becomes housing and the rest becomes an extension of Ellsworth Park. That could meet some neighbors' concerns about open space, while meeting the very real demand for affordable housing.
<p style="margin-top: 1em">If you agree, we have <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('https://www.change.org/p/montgomery-county-executive-ike-leggett-support-affordable-housing-at-the-former-silver-spring-library?recruiter=390787352&utm_source=share_for_starters&utm_medium=copyLink', '33743')" href="https://www.change.org/p/montgomery-county-executive-ike-leggett-support-affordable-housing-at-the-former-silver-spring-library?recruiter=390787352&utm_source=share_for_starters&utm_medium=copyLink" style="color: black">a petition of our own</a> that we'll send to the Montgomery County Council and County Executive Ike Leggett, asking them to support housing on the former library site.<p style="margin-top: 1em"><a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/33743/some-silver-spring-residents-want-a-park-instead-of-affordable-housing/#comments">47 comments</a></p>http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=33743Wed, 05 Oct 2016 11:45:00 EDTNational links: Ancient ruins that nobody visitshttp://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/33571/national-links-ancient-ruins-that-nobody-visits/
by <a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/jwood/" style="color: black"><span class="byline_name">Jeff Wood</span></a> <p style="margin-top: 1em">There are ancient ruins in the United States but people don't treat them as tourist destinations like they do ones in other countries. Also, not everyone gets to weigh in on how their city is planned, and Ford Motor Company is trying out a different transportation strategy. Check out what's going on in the world of housing, transportation, and cities around the globe.
<div class="blog_image_right" style="width: 179px; float: right; font-size: 8pt;"><a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('https://www.flickr.com/photos/snowpeak/15588023925/', '')" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/snowpeak/15588023925/" style="color: black"><img src="http://images.greatergreaterwashington.org/images/201609/161504.jpg" style="border: 0"></a><br>Photo by John Fowler on Flickr.</div><p style="margin-top: 1em"><b>Ancient ruins ignored:</b> The US has <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://dtrnsfr.us/2c2t1VT', '33571')" href="http://dtrnsfr.us/2c2t1VT" style="color: black">a number of ancient cities</a>, including Cahokia near St. Louis and Chaco Canyon in New Mexico. But we don't visit the same way we do places like, say, Machu Picchu. Part of the reason may be that ancient ruins in the US don't exactly mesh with the narrative that this land was uninhibited, waiting for Westerners to simply come and put it to use. (Pricenomics)
<p style="margin-top: 1em"><b>Not so representative:</b> Metropolitan planning agencies are <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://dtrnsfr.us/2ck16lh', '33571')" href="http://dtrnsfr.us/2ck16lh" style="color: black">notorious for overlooking</a> the opinions of people who live in dense urban areas, especially people of color and women. According to researchers in Austin, Texas, while 63% of their regional population is white, white board members represent 90% of the technical advisory council and 85% of the transportation policy board of region's metropolitan planning organization. Women make up 33% and 30% of these same two boards even though they make up half of the total population. (Streetsblog USA)
<p style="margin-top: 1em"><b>Will Ford change urban transportation?:</b> The Ford Motor company is <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://dtrnsfr.us/2chAxNz', '33571')" href="http://dtrnsfr.us/2chAxNz" style="color: black">making urban travel part of its business model</a>. The company has bought Chariot, a transit-like company that shuttles people from home to work in large cities, and is paying to bring 7,000 bike share bikes to San Francisco by 2017 (there are 700 now). The company says its goal is to drive down the cost of mobility for everyone. (Medium)
<p style="margin-top: 1em"><b>Is "out" the only way forward?:</b> Cities that spread outward <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://dtrnsfr.us/2covYRC', '33571')" href="http://dtrnsfr.us/2covYRC" style="color: black">have produced more housing</a> than those which have curbed the sprawl, according to a Berkeley economist. More units in sprawling areas has meant lower prices, which means cities will face a hard decision going forward: contain development while production in the core lags and prices go up, or sprawl into the outer areas of the region, a solution that brings high transportation costs and environmental damage. (Wall Street Journal)
<p style="margin-top: 1em"><b>Crosswalk, redesigned:</b> A series of crosswalks <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://dtrnsfr.us/2cm9MaO', '33571')" href="http://dtrnsfr.us/2cm9MaO" style="color: black">are being redesigned</a> in San Francisco to promote safety, taking into account the fact that drivers hit three people each day. The idea is to make pedestrians easier to spot by using multiple zebra crossings and raised curbs, but also to make the crossings more park-like. (Curbed SF)
<p style="margin-top: 1em"><b>Our transportation habits are wasteful:</b> When writing a book on garbage, Edward Humes noticed that we <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://dtrnsfr.us/2cmcYmw', '33571')" href="http://dtrnsfr.us/2cmcYmw" style="color: black">waste a lot of space and resources</a> on transportation, so he wrote a new book called <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0062372076/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0062372076&linkCode=am2&tag=greatgreatwas-20&linkId=4106dd348fb29ca47f57302828e2dc96" style="color: black">Door to Door: The Magnificent, Maddening, Mysterious World of Transportation</a><img src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=greatgreatwas-20&l=am2&o=1&a=0062372076" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important; border: 0" />. The fact that vehicles designed for five people ferry around one person, for example, led him to think the car is a social, economic, and health problem that needs to be solved. (New York Times)
<p style="margin-top: 1em"><b>Quote of the Day</b>
<p style="margin-top: 1em">"If you look at legal requirements on levels of nitrogen dioxide in particular, Oxford Street gets in the first week of January what it should in an entire year. That's one of the reason why there's an urgency to air quality plans."
<p style="margin-top: 1em"><a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://dtrnsfr.us/2cAloeR', '33571')" href="http://dtrnsfr.us/2cAloeR" style="color: black">London Mayor Sadiq Khan</a>, who himself has adult onset asthma, discussing the air quality problems London faces thanks to endless streams of diesel buses. (CNN)
<p style="margin-top: 1em"><p style="margin-top: 1em"><a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/33571/national-links-ancient-ruins-that-nobody-visits/#comments">21 comments</a></p>http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=33571Fri, 16 Sep 2016 16:14:00 EDTNational links: Can San Diego cut back on car use?http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/33428/national-links-can-san-diego-cut-back-on-car-use/
by <a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/jwood/" style="color: black"><span class="byline_name">Jeff Wood</span></a> <p style="margin-top: 1em">San Diego has big environmental goals that include getting a whole lot of people to stop driving, coastal cities are, indeed, generally more expensive than those in the middle of the country, and Uber is losing <i>a lot</i> of money. Check out what's going on in the world of housing, transportation, and cities around the globe.
<div class="blog_image_right" style="width: 183px; float: right; font-size: 8pt;"><a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('https://www.flickr.com/photos/nathaninsandiego/3274342181/', '')" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nathaninsandiego/3274342181/" style="color: black"><img src="http://images.greatergreaterwashington.org/images/201609/021606.jpg" style="border: 0"></a><br>Photo by Nathan Rupert on Flickr.</div><p style="margin-top: 1em"><b>Lofty goals for San Diego:</b> San Diego's leaders have some aggressive goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Part of the plan is to <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://bit.ly/2bKuSnt', '33428')" href="http://bit.ly/2bKuSnt" style="color: black">get more people to travel by some mode other than a single-occupancy vehicle</a>, the hope being that 50% of the workforce is out of cars by 2050. But that idea clashes with existing land use patterns and plans. (San Diego Union Tribune)
<p style="margin-top: 1em"><b>Rent prices, nationwide:</b> <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://bit.ly/2bKpxMR', '33428')" href="http://bit.ly/2bKpxMR" style="color: black">11 million Craigslist housing listings</a> from the summer of 2014, studied by researchers at UC Berkeley, say a lot about what rents were like around the country. True to what you've likely heard, the coasts are expensive and the sunbelt is cheap. If you want the most space for your money, move to Memphis. (Next City)
<p style="margin-top: 1em"><b>Uber footing the bill:</b> Uber posted a $100m loss inside the United States for the second quarter of the fiscal year, bringing its <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://bloom.bg/2bjZerT', '33428')" href="http://bloom.bg/2bjZerT" style="color: black">grand total of losses</a> for the first half of the year to $1.2 billion. Most of the losses are basically subsidies to keep Uber's large stable of contracted drivers on the road. Market analysts expect the company to continue to lose money at the expense of keeping its market share. (Bloomberg Technology)
<p style="margin-top: 1em"><b>Urban cow tipping:</b> Vandals in St. Paul have decided to <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://strib.mn/2bAm5Us', '33428')" href="http://strib.mn/2bAm5Us" style="color: black">push over</a> car2go vehicles, which some observers are calling "Urban Cow Tipping." The Smart Fortwo model is a tiny vehicle that's easily tipped. Similar incidents have occurred in Denver, Columbus, and Kansas City. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
<p style="margin-top: 1em"><b>No grid in Dallas. But a super-grid?</b> Dallas doesn't have a traditional grid network outside of it's historic post-war neighborhoods. But it does have a "<a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://bit.ly/2bd6WnA', '33428')" href="http://bit.ly/2bd6WnA" style="color: black">super-grid" of arterials</a> that could be the key to the cities transit future. (D Magazine)
<p style="margin-top: 1em"><b>Rental Glut:</b> Major housing construction of over 7,500 units in Brooklyn <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/30/nyregion/the-market-is-saturated-brooklyns-rental-boom-may-turn-into-a-glut.html?_r=0', '33428')" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/30/nyregion/the-market-is-saturated-brooklyns-rental-boom-may-turn-into-a-glut.html?_r=0" style="color: black">is likely to lead to a glut</a>, analysts say. While prices probably won't have huge drops, it's likely that the upper end of the market is saturated to the point that rents will flatten out. (New York Times)
<p style="margin-top: 1em"><b>Transit Trends Episode 6 with Lukas Neckermann</b>
<p style="margin-top: 1em">This week on Transit Trends, my YouTube show, my co-host Erica and I chat with Lukas Neckermann of NEXT Future Transportation Inc. We discuss the timeline for autonomous vehicles and whether we're ready for them.
<p style="margin-top: 1em"><iframe width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hn_B61JulJI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<p style="margin-top: 1em">Want more news about cities? I write a daily newsletter called The Direct Transfer Daily. <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://thedirecttransfer.com', '33428')" href="http://thedirecttransfer.com" style="color: black">Check it out</a>!<p style="margin-top: 1em"><a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/33428/national-links-can-san-diego-cut-back-on-car-use/#comments">16 comments</a></p>http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=33428Fri, 02 Sep 2016 16:20:00 EDTEnraged by E. colihttp://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/33253/enraged-by-e-coli/
by <a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/jpierce/" style="color: black"><span class="byline_name">Joanne Pierce</span></a> <p style="margin-top: 1em">Conservation groups are <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://dcist.com/2016/08/epa_rivers_lawsuit.php', '33253')" href="http://dcist.com/2016/08/epa_rivers_lawsuit.php" style="color: black">suing the Environmental Protection Agency</a>, saying that the agency violates the Clean Water Act by allowing too much E.coli bacteria into the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers. (DCist)<p style="margin-top: 1em"><a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/33253/enraged-by-e-coli/#comments">Comment</a></p>http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=33253Wed, 17 Aug 2016 09:00:00 EDTVulnerability in Ellicott City?http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/33219/vulnerability-in-ellicott-city/
by <a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/mgontarchick/" style="color: black"><span class="byline_name">Matt Gontarchick</span></a> <p style="margin-top: 1em">Although nothing could have prevented the deadly flood, development on formerly tree-covered hillsides above downtown Ellicott City may have made it <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/after-deadly-flash-flood-concern-about-developments-impact-on-ellicott-city/2016/08/14/e2867ff6-6253-11e6-8b27-bb8ba39497a2_story.html', '33219')" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/after-deadly-flash-flood-concern-about-developments-impact-on-ellicott-city/2016/08/14/e2867ff6-6253-11e6-8b27-bb8ba39497a2_story.html" style="color: black">more prone to flood damage</a> from runoff. (Post)<p style="margin-top: 1em"><a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/33219/vulnerability-in-ellicott-city/#comments">Comment</a></p>http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=33219Mon, 15 Aug 2016 08:54:00 EDT"Ludicrous" ruling could delay or scuttle the Purple Linehttp://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/33115/ludicrous-ruling-could-delay-or-scuttle-the-purple-line/
by <a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/alpert/" style="color: black"><span class="byline_name">David Alpert</span></a> <p style="margin-top: 1em">Just four days before Maryland was set to sign a key agreement to build the Purple Line, <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/court-ruling-on-purple-line-could-set-back-light-rail-construction/2016/08/03/bc2d6186-599c-11e6-831d-0324760ca856_story.html', '33115')" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/court-ruling-on-purple-line-could-set-back-light-rail-construction/2016/08/03/bc2d6186-599c-11e6-831d-0324760ca856_story.html" style="color: black">a federal judge blocked the project</a>, saying declining Metro ridership requires re-studying all of the projections for the light rail line from Bethesda to New Carrollton (which will not be built or operated by WMATA).
<p style="margin-top: 1em"><div class="blog_image" style="width:500px; text-align: center; font-size: 8pt;"><a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('https://www.flickr.com/photos/beyonddc/5752440466/', '33115')" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/beyonddc/5752440466/" style="color: black"><img src="http://images.greatergreaterwashington.org/images/201608/040936.jpg" style="border: 0"></a><br>This would destroy the environment, right? Image from the State of Maryland. (Governor Hogan has cut the grass tracks and many trees from the plan to save money, in an ironic turn for Purple Line opponents who supported him.)</div>
<p style="margin-top: 1em">
<p style="margin-top: 1em"><a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('https://ecf.dcd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/show_public_doc?2014cv1471-96', '33115')" href="https://ecf.dcd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/show_public_doc?2014cv1471-96" style="color: black">The decision</a>, from US District Court judge Richard Leon, says that the federal government "arbitrarily and capriciously" violated the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) by deeming it unnecessary to do another, supplemental Environmental Impact Statement.
<p style="margin-top: 1em"><b>Saving the environment, or protecting an exclusive enclave?</b>
<p style="margin-top: 1em">The EIS is the way federal law ensures that public works don't harm the environment, or at the very least, that the government analyze their environmental effect. It's an important way to be sure the environment isn't ignored (and that low-income areas don't bear all the brunt of environmental harm), but it's been widely misused as a way for wealthy communities with lots of legal resources to block projects.
<p style="margin-top: 1em">Nobody seriously believes that saving the environment is the goal of the wealthy plaintiffs, most of whom are from the Town of Chevy Chase and who have been fighting the project in the courts and in the political sphere for many years. The Purple Line will run along the edge of the town, in an old railroad right-of-way that is now the unpaved Georgetown Branch Trail and will be part of a forthcoming Capital Crescent Trail extension.
<p style="margin-top: 1em">The trail will remain, next to the Purple Line, but in a less forested setting. It will, however, finally connect to Silver Spring, making it usable for far more Montgomery County residents than today. That's not a boon to the few wealthy homeowners who have monopolized this transportation-dedicated land for their own semi-private use.
<p style="margin-top: 1em">They have, however, repeatedly cast about for environmental excuses to block the project. For a while, that was the Hays Spring Amphipod, an endangered species of tiny, sightless crustacean found only in Rock Creek in the District. Chevy Chase opponents paid a researcher to try to find evidence of the amphipod near the Purple Line's proposed route in hopes that would stymie the line, but to no avail.
<p style="margin-top: 1em">Now, they seem to have hit on an argument that worked at least with one judge: that Metro's woes mean the Purple Line, which will connect four branches of the Metro, won't get as many riders. The EIS uses ridership projections to justify the line, including why it should be light rail as opposed to the "bus rapid transit" that Town of Chevy Chase opponents have pushed for (since a bus wouldn't go through their town). About a quarter of the Purple Line's riders are expected to transfer to or from Metro.
<p style="margin-top: 1em"><div class="blog_image" style="text-align: center; font-size: 8pt;"><img src="http://images.greatergreaterwashington.org/images/201507/purplepaint.png" style="border: 0"><br>Image by Peter Dovak and David Alpert.</div>
<p style="margin-top: 1em"><b>Metro is suffering. That doesn't make the Purple Line a bad idea.</b>
<p style="margin-top: 1em">Metro ridership has been declining for the last few years thanks in large part to the system's maintenance, safety, and reliability problems. This, the Purple Line opponents argue, calls into question the calculations in the EIS. Leon bought that argument.
<p style="margin-top: 1em">The federal government said that Metro ridership isn't sufficiently connected to the Purple Line. Metro won't operate the Purple Line and it uses different technology (light rail versus heavy rail), so there's no reason to believe the Purple Line would have similar maintenance problems. But Leon said Metro's dropping ridership still counts as a "substantial change[] in the proposed action that [is] relevant to environmental concerns" and that dismissing the issue is "arbitrary and capricious" on the agency's part.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet tw-align-center" data-cards="hidden" data-lang="en"><i><p lang="en" dir="ltr">More expensive, elitist, and wasteful <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('https://twitter.com/hashtag/ChevyChase?src=hash', '33115')" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ChevyChase?src=hash" style="color: black">#ChevyChase</a> obstructionism around the <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('https://twitter.com/hashtag/PurpleLine?src=hash', '33115')" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PurpleLine?src=hash" style="color: black">#PurpleLine</a>. An absurd decision. <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('https://t.co/JsqvAVJTLT', '33115')" href="https://t.co/JsqvAVJTLT" style="color: black">https://t.co/JsqvAVJTLT</a></p>&mdash;<wbr>Tony Varona (@TonyVarona) <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('https://twitter.com/TonyVarona/status/760983370016886786', '33115')" href="https://twitter.com/TonyVarona/status/760983370016886786" style="color: black">August 3, 2016</a></i></blockquote><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<p style="margin-top: 1em">This is, as AU Law professor Tony Varona put it, "absurd." Once could as easily, and perhaps more credibly, argue that Metro's struggles will get more people riding the Purple Line as an alternative to Metrorail.
<p style="margin-top: 1em">Regardless, the judge is impermissibly substituting his own judgment for experts' when he decided that Metro missteps create a "substantial change." Ben Ross said, "Metro's current problems will have absolutely no impact on a forecast of 2040 ridership made by FTA-approved models. FTA regulations require that the models must be based on COG demographics and the transportation network in the [Constrained Long-Range Plan]." The FTA also argued that Metro should have its problems under control by 2022, and even if the judge thinks otherwise from what he hears at cocktail parties and in the media, that's not a basis for a legal decision.
<p style="margin-top: 1em">Finally, even if ridership will drop, the Purple Line will not harm the environment. Quite the contrary, it will move many people from cars to a more efficient, lower-polluting mode of travel, and likely reduce congestion as well. There's no serious argument that this ridership change could harm the environment, and protecting the environment is the purpose of NEPA.
<p style="margin-top: 1em"><b>Transit gets held to an unreasonable standard</b>
<p style="margin-top: 1em">Sadly, too often, road projects sail through NEPA while transit has to repeatedly justify its value. Some of this is because people used to believe new road projects relieved traffic, and people driving faster pollute less. This is false; instead, new highway capacity induces some driving demand, increasing the total amount of driving and thus pollution.
<p style="margin-top: 1em">That hasn't stopped people from (mis)using NEPA and other laws, like California's even tougher CEQA, to block anything that inconveniences drivers. In San Francisco, a judge <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://sf.streetsblog.org/2010/08/06/cyclists-cheer-as-judge-finally-frees-san-francisco-from-bike-injunction/', '33115')" href="http://sf.streetsblog.org/2010/08/06/cyclists-cheer-as-judge-finally-frees-san-francisco-from-bike-injunction/" style="color: black">held up the city's bike plan for four years</a> because bike foes argued that lanes would add to traffic and thus pollution; they similarly tried to <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://sf.streetsblog.org/2014/05/15/sftru-livable-city-want-ceqa-review-of-sunday-parking-meter-repeal/', '33115')" href="http://sf.streetsblog.org/2014/05/15/sftru-livable-city-want-ceqa-review-of-sunday-parking-meter-repeal/" style="color: black">stop the city from charging at parking meters on Sundays</a> under a similar chain of reasoning.
<p style="margin-top: 1em">Maryland will appeal the ruling, and hopefully the DC Circuit will quickly reverse Judge Leon's ridiculous ruling. The delay will surely cost money; if it's enough to derail the line is yet to be seen, though certainly what the plaintiffs hope.
<p style="margin-top: 1em">If the appeals court doesn't smack Leon down rapidly, it seems someone could sue in DC District Court to overturn every single EIS for a road anywhere. After all, it's not just Metro whose ridership projections have fallen; the government has over-estimated the amount of driving nationwide for at least a decade.
<p style="margin-top: 1em"><div class="blog_image" style="width:500px; text-align: center; font-size: 8pt;"><a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://t4america.org/2015/01/09/drop-in-driving-growth-is-likely-permanent-fhwa-acknowledges-compounding-the-threat-to-transportation-revenues/', '33115')" href="http://t4america.org/2015/01/09/drop-in-driving-growth-is-likely-permanent-fhwa-acknowledges-compounding-the-threat-to-transportation-revenues/" style="color: black"><img src="http://images.greatergreaterwashington.org/images/201608/040935.jpg" style="border: 0"></a><br>Image from Transportation For America.</div>
<p style="margin-top: 1em">While flat VMT does counsel against adding or widening highways, it wouldn't mean Leon ought to block every road on this basis. It'd be interesting to see what he'd do if someone tried, though.
<br>
<p style="margin-top: 1em"><a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/33115/ludicrous-ruling-could-delay-or-scuttle-the-purple-line/#comments">177 comments</a></p>http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=33115Thu, 04 Aug 2016 10:14:00 EDTWorldwide links: London's less stinkyhttp://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/31704/worldwide-links-londons-less-stinky/
by <a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/jwood/" style="color: black"><span class="byline_name">Jeff Wood</span></a> <p style="margin-top: 1em">The engineer behind one of London's greatest architectural achievements deserves serious props, Beijing's residents aren't into the idea of driving down congestion through charging people to drive into the city, and in Italy, a work of art suggests a way to deal with rising sea levels. Check out what's happening around the world in transportation, land use, and other related areas!
<div class="blog_image_right" style="width: 193px; float: right; font-size: 8pt;"><a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('https://www.flickr.com/photos/adriansnood/13509496285/', '')" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/adriansnood/13509496285/" style="color: black"><img src="http://images.greatergreaterwashington.org/images/201606/241419.jpg" style="border: 0"></a><br>Photo by Adrian Snood on Flickr.</div><p style="margin-top: 1em"><b>An engineering hero:</b> London's Thames Embankment <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://dtrnsfr.us/28IgEhG', '31704')" href="http://dtrnsfr.us/28IgEhG" style="color: black">changed the city</a> forever by creating a sewer system to wisk away waste after the 1858's "<a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Stink', '31704')" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Stink" style="color: black">Great Stink</a>." The engineer responsible, Joseph Bazelgette, should be revered for this&mdash;<wbr>and our noses and health should thank him. (London Lens)
<p style="margin-top: 1em"><b>Beijing blowback:</b> Beijing has some of the worst traffic and air quality in the world. Some have proposed congestion pricing&mdash;<wbr>charging people to drive when the most people are on the road&mdash;<wbr>but many drivers have <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://dtrnsfr.us/1UCYLQD', '31704')" href="http://dtrnsfr.us/1UCYLQD" style="color: black">pushed back hard</a> because they see mobility-by-car as a right. (The Economist)
<p style="margin-top: 1em"><b>Lake Floating:</b> Christo's Floating Piers installation on Lake Iseo in Italy connects small islands to the mainland. It is a beautiful piece of art, but also <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://bit.ly/28Kocn7', '31704')" href="http://bit.ly/28Kocn7" style="color: black">an opportunity to test pedestrian infrastructure</a> in a world faced with climate change and sea level rise. (Gizmodo)
<p style="margin-top: 1em"><b>Portland streetcar expansion:</b> Portland has completed the Tilikum Crossing, a bridge for bikes and walking but not cars, and it recently finished its streetcar loop. If the streetcar is going to grow, expansion will now <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://bit.ly/28IgoTw', '31704')" href="http://bit.ly/28IgoTw" style="color: black">need to go outwards</a> along major commercial corridors. (Portland Oregonian)
<p style="margin-top: 1em"><b>Unconventional Blockage:</b> Barricades are made from all types of materials. Traffic cones and caution tape can create informal, protective architecture, but they can become a form of art. While we typically see these barriers as symbols of authority, we might <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://bit.ly/28LB7AK', '31704')" href="http://bit.ly/28LB7AK" style="color: black">think of them differently</a> if we saw them in a gallery. (Places Journal)
<p style="margin-top: 1em"><b>Quote of the Day</b>
<p style="margin-top: 1em">"Columbus's win allows a city in the Midwest&mdash;<wbr>which is much more car-dependent in general than the coasts&mdash;<wbr>to illustrate how auto-oriented places can develop a new blueprint for moving around a city." Mobility Lab's Paul Mackie on <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://bit.ly/28OIKLm', '31704')" href="http://bit.ly/28OIKLm" style="color: black">Columbus winning the Smart Cities Challenge</a>, a planning contest whose first place award is $50 million. (Mobility Lab)<p style="margin-top: 1em"><a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/31704/worldwide-links-londons-less-stinky/#comments">6 comments</a></p>http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=31704Fri, 24 Jun 2016 16:50:00 EDTAnd...http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/31070/and/
by <a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/ptimko/" style="color: black"><span class="byline_name">Peter Timko</span></a> <p style="margin-top: 1em">Venture-capital investment and big money from startups are <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.citylab.com/tech/2016/06/startups-and-venture-capital-are-going-urban/485978/?utm_source=SFFB', '31070')" href="http://www.citylab.com/tech/2016/06/startups-and-venture-capital-are-going-urban/485978/?utm_source=SFFB" style="color: black">increasingly flowing toward dense, walkable urban neighborhoods</a>. (CityLab)... Norway is on the verge of <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/norway-to-ban-the-sale-of-all-fossil-fuel-based-cars-by-2025-and-replace-with-electric-vehicles-a7065616.html', '31070')" href="http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/norway-to-ban-the-sale-of-all-fossil-fuel-based-cars-by-2025-and-replace-with-electric-vehicles-a7065616.html" style="color: black">banning the sale of all petrol-powered cars by 2025</a>. (Independent)... In India, a lack of "good samaritan laws" make it <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-36446652?ocid=global_bbccom_email_07062016_magazine', '31070')" href="http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-36446652?ocid=global_bbccom_email_07062016_magazine" style="color: black">less likely that people help one another</a> after a traffic crash. (BBC)<p style="margin-top: 1em"><a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/31070/and/#comments">Comment</a></p>http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=31070Wed, 08 Jun 2016 08:57:00 EDTMore pavement, more problemshttp://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/30574/more-pavement-more-problems/
by <a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/mgontarchick/" style="color: black"><span class="byline_name">Matt Gontarchick</span></a> <p style="margin-top: 1em">The region adds roughly <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://wamu.org/news/16/04/22/more_people_and_more_development_in_region_mean_one_thing_more_pavement', '30574')" href="http://wamu.org/news/16/04/22/more_people_and_more_development_in_region_mean_one_thing_more_pavement" style="color: black">3.8 <s>million</s> square miles of pavement</a> annually, which has some tough environmental consequences. Better planning can help reduce the amount of pavement. (WAMU)<p style="margin-top: 1em"><a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/30574/more-pavement-more-problems/#comments">Comment</a></p>http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=30574Mon, 25 Apr 2016 08:53:00 EDTEqual opportunity, except for housinghttp://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/30555/equal-opportunity-except-for-housing/
by <a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/bcasey/" style="color: black"><span class="byline_name">Brendan Casey</span></a> <p style="margin-top: 1em">Cognitive dissonance between liberal aspirations and <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.betterinstitutions.com/blog/2016/3/27/liberal-cities-housing-policy-hypocrisy', '30555')" href="http://www.betterinstitutions.com/blog/2016/3/27/liberal-cities-housing-policy-hypocrisy" style="color: black">anti-growth housing policy is killing US cities</a>, argues Shane Phillips. Liberals cannot continue to claim they're pro-environment but anti-density, or pro-immigration but anti-new neighbors. (Better Institutions)<p style="margin-top: 1em"><a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/30555/equal-opportunity-except-for-housing/#comments">Comment</a></p>http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=30555Fri, 22 Apr 2016 08:50:00 EDTNational Links: Hillary talks housinghttp://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/30487/national-links-hillary-talks-housing/
by <a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/jwood/" style="color: black"><span class="byline_name">Jeff Wood</span></a> <p style="margin-top: 1em">Hillary Clinton is articulating her vision to help Americans with housing, what happens when people making decisions about transit don't know what it's like to depend on it, and a look at where row houses fit into the national landscape. Check out what's happening around the country in transportation, land use, and other related areas!
<div class="blog_image_right" style="width: 188px; float: right; font-size: 8pt;"><a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('https://www.flickr.com/photos/veni/1582729731/', '')" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/veni/1582729731/" style="color: black"><img src="http://images.greatergreaterwashington.org/images/201604/151443.jpg" style="border: 0"></a><br>Photo by Veni on Flickr.</div><p style="margin-top: 1em"><b>Hillary's housing hopes:</b> Hillary Clinton wants living near quality jobs, schools, and transportation to be easier, and she's <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://pilotonline.com/news/media/videos/clinton-pushes-affordable-housing-in-harlem/youtube_cd637a3f-c2d4-5b12-96b1-0039c3466735.html', '30487')" href="http://pilotonline.com/news/media/videos/clinton-pushes-affordable-housing-in-harlem/youtube_cd637a3f-c2d4-5b12-96b1-0039c3466735.html" style="color: black">making affordable housing part of her agenda</a>. Her proposal would boost funding for both programs that help people buy homes as well as public housing. (Virginia-Pilot)
<p style="margin-top: 1em"><b>Get the board on the bus:</b> Given how much they influence how people get around, perhaps transit board members <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://dtrnsfr.us/1RURez6', '30487')" href="http://dtrnsfr.us/1RURez6" style="color: black">should ride the bus</a>&mdash;<wbr>or at least know details about the system they work on. Some recent applicants for the DART Board of Directors in Dallas are clueless when it comes to transit-oriented development and taxpaying riders. (Dallas Observer)
<p style="margin-top: 1em"><b>Reliant on row houses</b> The row house is <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://dtrnsfr.us/1RUQs5n', '30487')" href="http://dtrnsfr.us/1RUQs5n" style="color: black">the workhorse</a> of dense older cities around the country, but it's becoming less popular. It's possible that row houses could be the "missing middle" that can help address the country's housing needs. (Urban Omnibus)
<p style="margin-top: 1em"><b>Questioning King Car:</b> Cars are a large part of American culture, like it or not. But they also <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://dtrnsfr.us/1YsIil9', '30487')" href="http://dtrnsfr.us/1YsIil9" style="color: black">cost a lot of money, time, and lives</a>. Since September 11th, 2001, over 400,000 people have died in automobile collisions. Is that a worthwhile price to pay for convenience? (The Atlantic)
<p style="margin-top: 1em"><b>Bridges of Amsterdam city:</b> Amsterdam has far more canals and bridges than the average city, but <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://dtrnsfr.us/22sY7t1', '30487')" href="http://dtrnsfr.us/22sY7t1" style="color: black">only one bridge runs across the large river</a> that separates the more industrial side of the city from where most people live. There is a tunnel and a number of ferries, neither of which is idea for walking or biking. But as more development happens and free ferries are overwhelmed, a bridge may be the next step. (City Metric)
<p style="margin-top: 1em"><b>Struggling city streams:</b> In the midwest, <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://dtrnsfr.us/1YqC3hz', '30487')" href="http://dtrnsfr.us/1YqC3hz" style="color: black">streams in urban places</a> are rare. Detroit, for example, has lost 86% of its surface streams. That worries ecologists because streams regulate water flow and keep wildlife healthy. (Great Lakes Echo)
<p style="margin-top: 1em"><b>Are we building boredom?:</b> Buildings designed like boxes are <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://dtrnsfr.us/22sYUdA', '30487')" href="http://dtrnsfr.us/22sYUdA" style="color: black">bad for us</a>. Research shows that human excitement wanes on streets with boring facades, causing stress that affects our health and psychological wellbeing. (New York Magazine)
<p style="margin-top: 1em"><b>Quote of the Week</b>
<p style="margin-top: 1em">"I think it's important to remember that these are serious crimes with emotional consequences. It's interesting nonetheless to watch how burglars use architecture, but that isn't enough reason to treat them like folk heroes." - Architecture writer Geoff Manaugh discussing his new book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0374117268/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0374117268&linkCode=am2&tag=greatgreatwas-20&linkId=Y5OZVZEJ7OE3XXU4" style="color: black"><i>A Burglar's Guide to the City</i></a><img src="http://images.greatergreaterwashington.org/images/201604/151425.gif" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important; border: 0"/> in <a href="/dtrnsfr.us/22sYrb7" style="color: black">Paste Magazine</a>.
<p style="margin-top: 1em"><p style="margin-top: 1em"><a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/30487/national-links-hillary-talks-housing/#comments">15 comments</a></p>http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=30487Fri, 15 Apr 2016 16:07:00 EDTSee how much more land is paved now than in 1984http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/30430/see-how-much-more-land-is-paved-now-than-in-1984/
by <a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/alpert/" style="color: black"><span class="byline_name">David Alpert</span></a> <p style="margin-top: 1em">In 2010, there was much more pavement covering more of the region than 26 years earlier. These <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2015.12.027', '30430')" href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2015.12.027" style="color: black">images from the University of Maryland</a>, highlighted by <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=87731&src=iotdrss', '30430')" href="http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=87731&src=iotdrss" style="color: black">NASA's Earth Observatory blog</a>, show the change.
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The region has grown, in population and in economic activity, and some new impervious surface is a consequence of that. However, the region can grow in ways that minimize impervious surface, by building larger buildings in the core and transit-oriented development around Metro stations. Or it can grow in more environmentally destructive ways, through sprawl.<p style="margin-top: 1em">
Some of this new impervious surface reflects already urban places getting denser. That's a good thing; by adding a little impervious surface in Arlington or along Connecticut Avenue, for example, the region saves a greater amount from being built outside the Beltway. <p style="margin-top: 1em">
But much of this new surface isn't responsible development. The NASA post points this out, saying,<p style="margin-top: 1em">
<blockquote><i>In addition to the widening of the Beltway, notice how pavement has proliferated in Fairfax and Loudoun counties in Virginia and Prince George's and Montgomery counties in Maryland. The District of Columbia was already densely developed in 1984, so the changes there are less noticeable.</i></blockquote><p style="margin-top: 1em">
The map also doesn't even zoom far enough out to show places like Frederick, Howard, Prince William, Fauquier, and Stafford counties, where the change is even more dramatic, and where even less of the new pavement is in places that are walkable or oriented to transit.<p style="margin-top: 1em">
<b>This is an effect of "height-itis"</b><p style="margin-top: 1em">
Week after week, local boards in many jurisdictions make decisions, like taking housing away from <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/30398/tenleytown-wont-get-50-units-of-housing-and-a-park/', '30430')" href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/30398/tenleytown-wont-get-50-units-of-housing-and-a-park/" style="color: black">the Georgetown Day School project</a> in Tenleytown, which remove a little potential housing in the core. Those choices don't keep even one square foot of land unpaved (and even if they did, it wouldn't be worth the tradeoff), but they do push a little more growth out to where it affects maps like this.<p style="margin-top: 1em">
Our region can protect natural resources, but not until people are willing to make them a priority. Until then, this trend will continue.
<p style="margin-top: 1em"><a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/30430/see-how-much-more-land-is-paved-now-than-in-1984/#comments">46 comments</a></p>http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=30430Thu, 14 Apr 2016 10:41:00 EDTFrack-free countyhttp://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/30455/frack-free-county/
by <a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/ptimko/" style="color: black"><span class="byline_name">Peter Timko</span></a> <p style="margin-top: 1em">Prince George's County became the first Maryland jurisdiction to <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/maryland-county-becomes-first-in-state-to-say-no-to-fracking/2016/04/12/62c08702-00cf-11e6-9d36-33d198ea26c5_story.html', '30455')" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/maryland-county-becomes-first-in-state-to-say-no-to-fracking/2016/04/12/62c08702-00cf-11e6-9d36-33d198ea26c5_story.html" style="color: black">ban hydraulic fracking</a>. Activists hope the law stymies efforts of fracking supporters like Governor Hogan, who has called fracking an "economic gold mine." (Post)<p style="margin-top: 1em"><a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/30455/frack-free-county/#comments">Comment</a></p>http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=30455Wed, 13 Apr 2016 09:02:00 EDTFake grass, real problemshttp://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/30303/fake-grass-real-problems/
by <a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/ptimko/" style="color: black"><span class="byline_name">Peter Timko</span></a> <p style="margin-top: 1em">The Montgomery County Council wants county-owned artificial turf fields <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.bethesdamagazine.com/Bethesda-Beat/Web-2016/Council-Members-Call-on-County-to-Test-Artificial-Turf-Fields-for-Toxic-Substances/', '30303')" href="http://www.bethesdamagazine.com/Bethesda-Beat/Web-2016/Council-Members-Call-on-County-to-Test-Artificial-Turf-Fields-for-Toxic-Substances/" style="color: black">to be tested for carcinogenic substances</a>. The turf at six schools in the county may include lead, chromium, cadmium and phthalate. (Bethesda Mag)<p style="margin-top: 1em"><a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/30303/fake-grass-real-problems/#comments">Comment</a></p>http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=30303Wed, 30 Mar 2016 09:05:00 EDTNational links: Seattle's transit-oriented approach to affordable housinghttp://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/30153/national-links-seattles-transit-oriented-approach-to-affordable-housing/
by <a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/jwood/" style="color: black"><span class="byline_name">Jeff Wood</span></a> <p style="margin-top: 1em">Transit projects in Seattle may boost affordable housing, General Motors is subsidizing Lyft, and Philadelphia is capping a large rail yard with parks. Check out what's happening around the country in transportation, land use, and other related areas!
<div class="blog_image_right" style="width: 188px; float: right; font-size: 8pt;"><a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('https://www.flickr.com/photos/viriyincy/4643471437/', '')" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/viriyincy/4643471437/" style="color: black"><img src="http://images.greatergreaterwashington.org/images/201603/181315.jpg" style="border: 0"></a><br>Photo by Oran Viriyincy on Flickr.</div><p style="margin-top: 1em"><b>Transit-oriented affordable housing?:</b> The Washington State Legislature has asked that if Sound Transit's ballot measure is passed in November, that the agency buy projects staging land in parcels that will later be usable to build affordable housing. Previous projects have bought just slivers</a> of land that are hard to build on after projects are completed. This <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://dtrnsfr.us/1pifX5f', '30153')" href="http://dtrnsfr.us/1pifX5f" style="color: black">innovative step towards TOD</a>, to their knowledge, has never been done before at any transit agency. (The Stranger)
<p style="margin-top: 1em"><b>Lifting up Lyft:</b> General Motors is investing in the ride hailing company Lyft, providing drivers with <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://dtrnsfr.us/1ptmQS8', '30153')" href="http://dtrnsfr.us/1ptmQS8" style="color: black"> vehicles at reduced costs</a>, or for free if they they complete 65 rides a week. GM sees removing barriers to working in ride hailing as a step into the self-driving car market. (Vanity Fair)
<p style="margin-top: 1em"><b>Philly renovation:</b> Philadelphia's 30th Street Station is getting an upgrade, and redevelopment is coming to its adjacent rail yards. A <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://dtrnsfr.us/1RNpoAX', '30153')" href="http://dtrnsfr.us/1RNpoAX" style="color: black">cap over 80 acres of rail yards</a> is part of a project to essentially create a new, desirable neighborhood. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
<p style="margin-top: 1em"><b>More transit in LA:</b> Los Angeles Metro has big plans, including a toll and transit tunnel under Sepulveda Pass, a notoriously congested corridor in the region. In November, <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://dtrnsfr.us/1pifX5f', '30153')" href="http://dtrnsfr.us/1pifX5f" style="color: black">LA County voters will decide</a> whether to fund the new projects with a tax increase that would bring in $120 billion in new revenue. (Los Angeles Times)
<p style="margin-top: 1em"><b>First cities:</b>The city of Alexandria is often hailed as one of the first great cities, <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://dtrnsfr.us/22hB4TG', '30153')" href="http://dtrnsfr.us/22hB4TG" style="color: black">but great for whom</a>? Dinocrates designed Alexandria for Alexander the Great, and making sure the city functioned for everyday people wasn't a priority. (The Guardian Cities)
<p style="margin-top: 1em"><b>Pigeon Air Patrol:</b> Many cities around the globe are grappling with air quality issues and London is no exception. London is creating awareness by <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://dtrnsfr.us/1nKpml3', '30153')" href="http://dtrnsfr.us/1nKpml3" style="color: black">strapping tiny sensor backpacks to pigeons</a>, which will measure pollution in the air and tweet their findings. (Grist)
<p style="margin-top: 1em"><b>Quote of the Week</b>
<p style="margin-top: 1em">"If you were to check your Facebook on the phone, it would happen in front of the funny shops, among the other people. If you had to tie your shoelaces, it would happen there. If you have to park your bike, it would happen there. We found that all kinds of activities in street were drawn over to where the activity was and people resisted doing anything in front of the inactive place."
<p style="margin-top: 1em">International Urban Designer Jan Gehl on <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://dtrnsfr.us/255LQ1H', '30153')" href="http://dtrnsfr.us/255LQ1H" style="color: black">the importance of having active ground floor facades</a>. (Plan Philly)<p style="margin-top: 1em"><a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/30153/national-links-seattles-transit-oriented-approach-to-affordable-housing/#comments">8 comments</a></p>http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=30153Fri, 18 Mar 2016 15:29:00 EDTDC is testing a way to curb stormwater pollutionhttp://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/29639/dc-is-testing-a-way-to-curb-stormwater-pollution/
by <a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/korfalea/" style="color: black"><span class="byline_name">Keenan Orfalea</span></a> <p style="margin-top: 1em">What happens to all the water when snow melts? To keep our water clean, DC wants to limit the amount of stormwater runoff a property can have, and <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.ecosystemmarketplace.com/articles/ddoe-approves-trade-first-kind-stormwater-retention-credit-trading-program/', '29639')" href="http://www.ecosystemmarketplace.com/articles/ddoe-approves-trade-first-kind-stormwater-retention-credit-trading-program/" style="color: black">create a market</a> for buildings that go over to buy credits from those who don't. If it works, the program will serve as an example for other cities facing similar challenges.
<p style="margin-top: 1em"><div class="blog_image" style="width:500px; text-align: center; font-size: 8pt;"><a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('https://www.flickr.com/photos/27398485@N08/4396767316/', '29639')" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/27398485@N08/4396767316/" style="color: black"><img src="http://images.greatergreaterwashington.org/images/201602/031101.jpg" style="border: 0"></a><br>DC hopes to mitigate the environmental harm of stormwater runoff, like melting snow. Photo by Pamla J. Eisenberg on Flickr.</div>
<p style="margin-top: 1em"><b>Here's why runoff is bad</b>
<p style="margin-top: 1em">When it rains or snows, paved and urban environments send a tremendous amount of water into the nearest gutter. From there, it either goes to treatment or, as in two-thirds of DC, directly into the nearest body of water.
<p style="margin-top: 1em">As stormwater flows to the closest river or lake, it picks up all of the pollution that has built up on city streets since the last rainfall (picture once white snow on the sidewalk after a couple days). This contaminates the surrounding environment and can lead such areas to be declared potentially toxic for humans, as is the case along much of the Anacostia.
<p style="margin-top: 1em"><div class="blog_image" style="width:500px; text-align: center; font-size: 8pt;"><a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('https://www.flickr.com/photos/29388462@N06/5162660488/', '29639')" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/29388462@N06/5162660488/" style="color: black"><img src="http://images.greatergreaterwashington.org/images/201602/031100.jpg" style="border: 0"></a><br>Photo by Chesapeake Bay Program on Flickr.</div>
<p style="margin-top: 1em">Pollution is far from the only concern. The banks of Rock Creek or the Potomac demonstrate a separate, but no less harmful, problem stemming from urban runoff around every drain pipe: erosion of natural waterways.
<p style="margin-top: 1em"><b>Here's what DC wants to do about it</b>
<p style="margin-top: 1em">DC's Department of Energy and Environment has created a <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://doee.dc.gov/src', '29639')" href="http://doee.dc.gov/src" style="color: black">new approach to fixing the urban stormwater runoff problem</a>.
<p style="margin-top: 1em">The first part of the new law is that all new or renovated buildings above a certain size must capture and reuse or evaporate a specified amount of stormwater runoff.
<p style="margin-top: 1em">If a building goes over its limit of allowed runoff, its owner (or the owner of the business occupying the building) has to buy credits that increase that allowance. On the flip side, if a building's runoff is under its limit, the owner can sell its credits to those going over. This is called a stormwater retention credit marketplace.
<p style="margin-top: 1em">Requiring developers to contribute some part of their profit to remediate a property's negative impact on the public commons makes a lot of sense. This approach also treats all developers or redevelopers equally.
<p style="margin-top: 1em"><b>This won't be easy</b>
<p style="margin-top: 1em">The framework does, however, have a serious weakness from an impact point of view: Not all stormwater runoff has an equal impact on the environment, or on social welfare. A lot depends on factors like the state of the sewer system in the area and how close it is to a body of water, among others.
<p style="margin-top: 1em">In fact, given the District's geography and different types of sewer systems, on many regulated sites, even full compliance with the capture requirements will have little or no water quality impact. Such differences do not, however, make stormwater retention any less viable; on the contrary, it means the relative impact of each individual project will vary greatly depending on its location. This is especially true for areas adjacent to or east of the Anacostia River.
<p style="margin-top: 1em"><div class="blog_image" style="width:500px; text-align: center; font-size: 8pt;"><a href="/image.cgi?src=201602/031200.png&ref=29639" style="color: black"><img src="http://images.greatergreaterwashington.org/images/201602/031200-1.png" style="border: 0"></a><br>Stormwater runoff to the Anacostia. Photo by <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://kristaschlyer.com', '29639')" href="http://kristaschlyer.com" style="color: black">Krista Schlyer</a>.</div>
<p style="margin-top: 1em">Another potential difficulty stems from the inclusion of projects completed before the legislation was enacted, making them eligible for credits and potentially flooding the market with excess credits.
<p style="margin-top: 1em">One possible solution that would be to establish a buyer of last resort, public or private, which would allow developers to unload unwanted inventory at a guaranteed price.
<p style="margin-top: 1em"><b>The right market could make this work</b>
<p style="margin-top: 1em">Washington's new program is attracting the interest of organizations and investors, but so far, it has been hampered by confusion surrounding the long term shape of the marketplace and the price for credits. Furthermore, the regulatory framework defines all stormwater runoff as equal, with volume being the only unit of measurement.
<p style="margin-top: 1em">However, critically, the law sets up the possibility for an independent organization to serve as a market maker by creating or buying large numbers of credits. This should facilitate development of the marketplace by guaranteeing developers of credits a price at which to sell and allowing buyers to enter stable, long-term purchasing agreements in order to meet new regulatory requirements.
<p style="margin-top: 1em"><a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.rainpay.org/', '29639')" href="http://www.rainpay.org/" style="color: black">RainPay</a>, an initiative of the Anacostia Waterfront Trust, is one such attempt. The organization will broker credit sales agreements with developers that would meet their regulatory requirements for a defined period of time, and then work with landowners in the places likely to achieve high pollution reduction to create new credits. If the marketplace develops as planned, it will result in a self-supporting system of substantial water quality gains without any government or philanthropic money.
<p style="margin-top: 1em">Other non-profits, including the Nature Conservancy, are looking for ways to exploit this new regulation. Real estate developers, engineering companies and investors are also exploring the budding marketplace.
<p style="margin-top: 1em">"The District's basic regulatory framework, coupled with a sophisticated intermediary like RainPay, will create a new market in ecological protection that, with adaptations to the overarching state (or national) legal and regulatory framework, can be replicated elsewhere," says Anacostia Waterfront Trust Executive Director Doug Siglin. "It is possible that someday London, Beijing and Nairobi could enhance their impact on water quality through local versions of the RainPay program. In this sense, RainPay could be a global market-maker."
<p style="margin-top: 1em">Before stormwater retention credit marketplaces start popping up around the world, the regulation must be proven to work in Washington. It is apparent that knowledge about the credit market is still low. The program is relatively new and anything that can be done to increase awareness will help speed the development of the market. Obstacles remain, but if it works as planned, cities may have a powerful new policy tool for reducing stormwater pollution. <p style="margin-top: 1em"><a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/29639/dc-is-testing-a-way-to-curb-stormwater-pollution/#comments">34 comments</a></p>http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=29639Wed, 03 Feb 2016 13:23:00 EDT